Christmas morning was the only day of the year that I woke up early. Which was fine except my parents had a strict rule “no waking them up until 9am”. But what I could do was open one gift from my stocking. (Yes, we’re one of those families where all the stocking gifts are wrapped individually.) I crept downstairs, got my stocking, and brought it back up to my room. I dumped it out and spread the gifts all over my bed trying to figure out which one to open: which one will pass the time until I can wake my parents up? Then I spotted it. A small rectangular shape. I tore the paper off and unveiled a brand new cassette tape from a Christian band. I took off the plastic and pulled out the liner notes, unfolding them. Then I laid on my stomach and pored over every single word. I read the lyrics to the songs, I read the thank yous, all of it. 

I was obsessed with music. At that point in my life I believed I was called to be a contemporary Christian musician. I was writing my own lyrics and occasionally recording songs on a small tape recorder. 

I only listen to Christian music. (Well, mostly.) I’ve been told over and over again how bad secular music is. I remember a large group meeting at one of our national youth conferences where they told us how dirty lyrics to popular songs are. I remember being scandalized. 

After that session they handed out posters that said “If you like this (secular) band, try this (Christian) band”. I eagerly grabbed one and made sure we put it on our youthroom wall. I also picked up a couple of the bands they recommended. 

All around me were messages about being careful with what media I consumed. I shouldn’t watch anything with sex or too much swearing. I shouldn’t listen to secular music. I shouldn’t read books that had magic or witchcraft in them or that might raise questions about my faith. 

I was supposed to protect my spirit. I’ve heard some folks say something like “It’s not that I am not allowed to watch all of that stuff, I have freedom in Christ, I can do whatever I want. I just don’t WANT to watch or listen to anything that’s not Christian because it will take my focus from Jesus.” For a long time I would have said that, too. And I would have believed it. But there’s actually something else going on here and I think it’s something we should be paying attention to. 

The other day I was listening to Longform, a podcast of literary interviews. The host was interviewing Ta-Nehesi Coates. They were talking about how a lot of schools and other places had been trying (sometimes successfully) to ban his books. The host asked if there was something in particular in the books, a similar thing that each of the wanna be banners tried to cite, and Coates said this:

“I think it’s a correct analysis of politics that’s causing it. And what I mean by that is, and I don’t know that the people behind it always say it this way, but there’s a certain sector of politics on the right that really correctly understands that cultural issues are very, very powerful, actually. That books and movies and TV shows and monuments and statues and art, all that stuff actually really does matter and has a huge effect on what we consider actual politics, which is to say, voting, legislation, et cetera, because our whole notions of humanity are derived from these things.

They’re derived from stories, they’re derived from the news, they’re derived from art, they’re derived from statues. That’s how we decide who is what. And the reason you know is powerful is because in previous eras, for instance, during the era of redemption, it became extremely important to destroy the multiracial democracies that have been raised in the South.

They went after the history, they went after the stories. That’s where all those monuments come from. Those monuments are not just raised out of nothing. It’s not a mistake that it wasn’t until the early 1960s Southern states started putting up the Confederate battle flag. They understood the power of the symbol. They know.

Now, they find themselves in an era where there is a very real cultural war, by which I mean the hegemony that they once enjoyed over the culture is actually actively being challenged. That is a long-term threat to the politics that they represent. I mean, a lot of people say, oh, this is a distraction.I actually think it’s quite intelligent, while it’s not the response I would have. I don’t think it’s a deluded response, or delusional response, rather.”

This is why the church of my youth spent so much time telling us what we could and could not listen to. This is why they continue to spend millions of dollars a year on the entertainment industry. It’s why they have been early adopters on all new media; radio, television, the internet. It’s why they have a massive publishing arm, music labels, film studios, and more. They know that culture matters and what we watch and listen to has an impact on us.

Progressive folks, especially progressive people of faith, haven’t invested in the same way. We were late to adopting new media, we still don’t produce art at the same pace (or quality level) as the evangelicals. And I know some will say “that’s because we’re not concerned with making religious art” and on the one hand I agree with that, but on the other, we haven’t been good at fusing our values and our work. And we especially have not been good about supporting, funding, and encouraging our artists. 

Which is why the narrative war is being dominated by those on the right. And it’s why they are so passionate about banning books, about trying to invoke morality clauses, about not allowing children to be read to by drag queens. Like Coates says, it’s not a distraction, it’s a strategy.

Which leads me to my own reflection: What are the symbols we could be turning to in order to change the narrative? What are the stories that we could be telling that could encourage a new way of being in the world? How can we not only encourage open access to the arts, but also encourage people to engage with the arts? How can we support and encourage our artistic truth tellers? 

Stories matter. So what stories are we telling?